Digital Commons Network^™

Anti-Infective Agents From The Terrestrial Plants Zanthoxylum Monophyllum (Lam.) P. Wilson And Sorocea Muriculata Miq. Against Pathogenic Fungi, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus And Plasmodium Falciparum, Raquel Rodr├¡Guez Guzm├Ín

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Historical Analysis Of Christianity Today Magazine And Christian Magazines In American Culture / By Doris Jean Waller, Doris Jean (Jeannie) Waller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Power : James O. Eastland And The Democratic Party / By Maarten Zwiers, Maarten Zwiers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Going Against The Flow : Making A Case For A Men's Food And Lifestyle Magazine, Garreth C. Blackwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Showing What We See: Psychoanalytic Vision, Transparency, And Linguistic Pragmatics, Scott Bortle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the possibilities that pragmatic linguistic analytic methods might have for psychoanalysis, both in the latter's attempts to establish itself as an empirically grounded endeavor and in its understanding of its own theoretical constructs. I begin with a discussion of some of the troubles psychoanalysis has had in legitimizing itself in the eyes of its peers since in inception, suggesting that a closer relationship with already-established sociolinguistic sciences (i.e. pragmatic analysis of linguistic interaction) may aid in its promotion.

I then describe how these methods have already been taken up within the field of psychology in the study …

The Development Of Small Christian Communities In The Catholic And Among The Lugbara People Of Uganda After The Second Vatican Council: A Historical, Theological And Pastoral Investigation, Diego Cadri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation depicted the events in the lives of the Lugbara Ethnic group, who will go down in the history of Uganda, through their actual existence, their deeds, their accomplishments and their contributions, but particularly because of their successful, "small Christian communities," an important segment in all its facets, in the Lugbara Christian life. The new way of being Church that came out of the Second Vatican Council, that is, since the 1960s was the small Christian community. These pages narrated the development, the early struggle, the uncertainty, the needs, the goals, the purposes, the accomplishments and the success of …

Civic-Ness In The Caribbean: Civic Society And Governance In Barbados And Jamaica, Liam Carstens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study tests the hypothesis of Robert Putnam (Making Democracy Work) which posits that 'civic-ness' explains why democracy works better in some cases than in others. This paper seeks to determine whether this variable explains "good governance" in the Caribbean as well as it does for the Mediterranean.

In order to establish whether or not 'civic-ness' determines 'good governance,' two extreme cases in the Caribbean are examined. Barbados and Jamaica are case studies of variance in economic performance, government, and the social situation. The two are compared in terms of their levels of 'civic-ness,' an independent variable resembling Putnam's but …

The Experience Of Transitioning To The Caregiving Role For A Family Member With Alzheimer's Disease Or A Related Dementia, Kathleen Czekanski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic, debilitating disease that currently affects approximately 5.1 million Americans (Alzheimer's Association 2007). The majority of these individuals are being cared for at home by family caregivers who are known to suffer from more depression and burden than any other group of caregivers. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of transitioning to the role of caregiver for a family member with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. The study followed purposeful sampling and eight women and two men with a mean age of 66.3 participated in the study. These …

Oncology Nurses' Attitudes Toward Cancer Clinical Trials And Their Perceptions Of Patients' Understanding, Paul D'Amico

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Clinical trials in oncology that evaluate new cancer treatments are essential. However, in the United States only 2%-4% of eligible adult cancer patients participate in the National Cancer Institute's clinical trials annually. Oncology nurses have a major role in the care of patients contemplating enrollment into cancer clinical trials, yet little is known about their attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions.

The Modified Nursing Attitude Survey and a demographic form were used to collect data. This study discovered significant predictors to attitudes and perceptions; however, all R² (coefficient of determination) values were very low, which indicates that some other unknown variables could …

The Bloody Truth: A Psychological And Cultural Study Of Menstruation As Lived And Experienced By Women, Carolyn Deforest

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present research explores the negation and affirmation of menstrual life as found in culture, theory, and the concrete experiences of individual women. A phenomenological and hermeneutical thematic analysis is used throughout. In this study, the aspects of culture analyzed include language, humor, art, television, film, literature, print and television advertising, menstrual education, medicine, and some of the historical influences in the perception of women. Additionally, the formal psychological literature is examined as part of the cultural data, as is the researcher's own observations and cultural experiences.

Overall, this research reveals that the experience of menstrual bleeding has been culturally …

Social Competence Difficulties, Loneliness, And Victimization By Peers As Predictors Of Eating Disturbance In Young Girls: A Longitudinal Investigation, Marissa Deleel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1950s, epidemiological studies have shown a steady increase in the number of children and adolescents with eating disorders (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2003). Moreover, Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (Sullivan, 1995). Historically, eating disorders were believed to occur predominantly in Caucasian adolescent and adult females from middle to upper socio-economic status (SES). Presently, studies are beginning to include more diversified samples and are discovering the presence of maladaptive eating behaviors. The current longitudinal study utilized a large community sample of girls who were assessed at age 9 and again at age 10. …

Adolescent Males Involvement In Pregnancy Prevention: Deliberate Action To Protect Future Goals, Judy Didion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the process of adolescent male involvement in teen pregnancy prevention. Grounded theory method was used to discover the meaning of pregnancy prevention from the adolescent male perspective. Individual interviews were conducted with eighteen 18-year old boys who were seniors in high school. The data collected from the interviews were analyzed using constant comparison and theoretical sampling techniques. The concepts and constructs which emerged from the data analysis depict the social processes of adolescent male relationships in regards to pregnancy prevention.

The findings revealed that these adolescent boys were very involved in …

Characterization Of Steroid Sulfatase In Human And Mouse Tissues And In The Mouse Mc3t3-E1 Pre-Osteoblastic Cell Line, Heidi Difrancesca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Steroid sulfatase cleaves the sulfate group from 3Β-hydroxysteroid sulfates. This enzyme is widely distributed among mammalian tissues, and it has been suggested to play a role in the in situ conversion of inactive steroids to active forms in a variety of tissues. Two tissues in which steroid sulfatase may be particularly important are breast cancer and bone. Our laboratory is interested in the role of steroid sulfatase; consequently, I worked on four projects characterizing steroid sulfatase in human and mouse tissues and investigating the role of this enzyme in mouse bone cells. Recent evidence indicates that steroid sulfatase could be …

School Success Among African American Male Adolescents: An Existential Examination Of Protective Factors, Carol Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many adolescents who live in a high-risk neighborhood, harsh and sometimes dangerous circumstances often interfere with the ability to enjoy school success. While quantitative methods have been employed to reveal protective factors among African American male adolescents, few qualitative studies exist that analyze the lived experiences of this population of youth and their ability to flourish despite environmental disadvantages. This study is a phenomenologically-oriented narrative case study of five African American male adolescents who attend high school in a small, rural community and who are on track to graduate. The primary philosophies that framed this study were Ryan and …

A Comparison Of Self-Acceptance Among Counselor Education Master's Degree Students At The Beginning, Practicum Level, And Graduation From Their Program Of Studies, Baljinder Uppal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this study was counselor trainees' self-acceptance; because this examiner proposed there is a parallel process between the client's relationship with the counselor and the counselor's relationship with oneself. This study was an investigation of the differences between three nonequivalent groups: Group A - Beginning Counselor Students, Group B -- Beginning Practicum Counselor Students, and Group C - Graduating Counselors to measure differences between the three groups. The study was researching their responses from the Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire-Revised (USAQ-R) as an individual assessment instrument. This investigator measured the effects of gender to determine if group differences in response …

Scientific Evolution, Creation Theologies And African Cosmogonies In Dialogue: Toward A Christian Theology Of Evolution, Ameh Ejeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a dissertation in which the question of cosmic origins is examined from three perspectives, namely, Scientific Theories of Evolution, Christian Theologies of Creation, and African Cosmogonies, respectively. Through the use of comparative-dialogic and dialectic methods, and the application of the models of contact/dialogue and confirmation/integration in ways of relating science with religion, the insights of these three perspectives are examined and analyzed in the formulation of a Theology of Evolution that conceives of evolution as a medium of divine creativity.

The themes of evolutionary process, interconnection, interrelation and interdependence in nature, the mystery and sacredness of nature and …

An Exploration Into Factors Contributing To Patient-Initiated Termination From Addiction Treatment Programs By Opioid-Dependent Persons, Neil Gregory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Patient-initiated termination, a significant and long-standing problem in the field of addiction treatment, is linked to the effectiveness of addiction treatment. The literature revealed several important points. First, treatment outcomes are positively correlated with the length of time spent in treatment. Second, many patients terminate addiction treatment before completing the program. Third, many patients attending addiction treatment facilities develop a treatment career in which they attend several treatment programs and receive a variety of services. Fourth, such factors as the patients' physical health, mental health, legal status, employment status and the patients' relationships with others are consistently related to the …

Patient Experiences With The New Nurse Practitioner Role In New Brunswick Canada, Trudean Hahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of nurse practitioner (NP) has been flourishing in the US since the late 1960's. In Canada, the implementation of the role was slower to get established and has experienced a new thrust in recent years with shortages of family physicians and the implementation of new NP programs. The role of the NP was given royal assent in the province of New Brunswick, Canada in June, 2002 and the first NPs were hired in 2003. The purpose of this interpretive description study was to examine patient responses to this new role of NP in New Brunswick. Purposeful sampling was …

Prison Education Program Participation And Recidivism, Zarona Ismailova

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study utilizes logistic regression techniques to investigate the effect of prison education program participation on recidivism rates. I tested the hypothesis that inmates who actively participate in educational programs have a lower likelihood of being reconvicted. The purpose of this study is to help identify correctional programs that have a positive impact on recidivism, to then suggest policies that are directed at rehabilitating inmates and, ultimately, to reduce recidivism rates.

I used pre-existing data from reputable sources so I did not have to survey inmates. The initial tests found that there were several variables that had a relationship with …

A Comparison Of Anxiety Levels Among Women In Mixed Gender Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities And Women-Only Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities, Veronica I. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether women who participate in a mixed gender residential substance abuse treatment facility experience more general anxiety during treatment than do women in a women-only setting and whether there a difference in the general anxiety levels of women in a women-only substance abuse treatment facility whether children are present or not. The voluntary participants of the study included 64 women who were selected from 4 residential treatment settings, 2 mixed gendered and 2 women-only, 1 with women and children. The women were asked to complete the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) that …

Positioning For Acceptance: How Women With Hiv Infection Manage Their Relationships, Mary Kozy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Even though the number of women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) grows annually, medical treatment has rendered this illness a chronic but manageable disease. Nurses must expand their knowledge beyond issues of survival and end of life care and focus on ways to maintain health and well being in this population. The works of Miller (1986) and Gilligan (1993) underscore the significance of relationships in the emotional well being of women. Issues of stigma, sexual transmission and ill health render HIV infection a threat to social relationships. Published literature exists that explores aspects of relationship such as social support, motherhood …

The Impact Of Organizational Culture, Feminist Theory And Leadership Of The First Seven Presidents On The Historical Development Of Mercyhurst College (1926-1972), Mary Lee Lynch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The religious heritage and ideals of many American Catholic colleges and universities are associated with the orders of women religious that established women's colleges in the 19th century and served them through the 20th century. The social histories of their individual colleges are just beginning to be written. This study provides historical information on the first seven Sister of Mercy presidents of Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. It searches out the role each of these presidents played not just in maintaining the culture of the institution but also in making significant adaptations to it. The study focuses on female centered …

A Comparison Between Habitual Pitch And Optimum Pitch In Preschool-Aged Children, Katie Micco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if the habitual pitch (HP) produced by normally developing preschool-aged children was different across structured speech tasks and free play and to determine if the HP across the same tasks differed from optimum pitch (OP) produced by these children. HP measurements were performed on ten normally developing preschool-aged children (2.6 to 6 years), without a history of speech, language, or hearing impairments, during both structured speech tasks and free play. In addition, pitch glide tasks were used to determine each participant's modal F0 range from which OP was derived using a modified …

Psychopathic Traits And Social-Cognitive Processes In Aggressive Youth, Colleen Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy is associated with severe and violent aggressive behaviors, poor treatment outcomes and high rates of recidivism. In youth, conduct problems and callous/unemotional characteristics are associated with characteristics of adulthood psychopathy. Downward extending adult criteria to youth is problematic. However, there is substantial evidence that adults with psychopathy traits began that developmental trajectory in childhood. This study adds to the developing literature clarifying the construct of psychopathy in youth, including the nature of callous/unemotional traits and the relationship to social-cognitive processes. Results indicate the callous/unemotional trait significantly predicted empathic concern, perspective taking, cognitive dysregulation, and outcome values in obtaining a …

The Politics Of Medical Syncretism In The Ghanaian National Healthcare System, Mark Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Efforts to create public policy integrating traditional/indigenous medical practices and practitioners into national healthcare strategies are currently being pursued in a variety of nations in the Africa region. The purpose of this research is to present a historical case study of the social and political factors associated with the passage of the Traditional Medicine Practice Act of 2000 in the West African nation of Ghana. Research methodology included conducting a thorough examination of available archival and secondary data as well as an abbreviated interview series (N=5). Research findings suggest that significant factors associated with Ghanaian medical revivalism were the role …

Life Of The People, Body Of The People: Re-Reading The Imagery Of The Body Politic, Wade Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to traditional interpretations, the language of the body politic is regarded as an essentially marginal turn of phrase which, if it does have any theoretical importance, simply refers to the civil order formed by agents who agree to exit from the state of nature by transferring their right of self-defense to a duly recognized sovereign authority. From the standpoint of Agamben and Foucault's work on biopower, however, corporeal language is no longer viewed one-dimensionally, as a metaphor of popular consent; rather, we can re-read the body politic in a more literal way, as the intersection of cooperation and antagonism …

Bridging The Gap Between Research And Practice: Involving Group Therapists In The Development Of Clinically Relevant Research Questions And Methodologies, Mandy Schleifer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 1970 Irvin Yalom published his seminal work on group therapy, in which he presented an eleven-factor theory of psychotherapy group process. Since 1970, most research on group therapeutic factors has investigated their relative importance, depending on the therapeutic setting or modality, client population, or "developmental stage" of the group. However some authors have protested that there are methodological, definitional, or content-oriented problems with extant therapeutic factor research. The present author links these three issues by understanding them as symptoms of a research-practice gap. In order to explore the limitations of existing research and consider potential remedies, she conducted a …

Quantitative Differences In The Conversational Performance Of People With Severe Expressive Aphasia Using Three Types Of Visual Screen Displays On Speech Generating Devices, Jennifer Seale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This multiple single-subject research study measured quantitative differences in communication success, communicator roles and act functions during dyadic conversational interactions between six people with severe aphasia and their peer communication partners across three conditions involving a type of augmentative communication intervention, speech generating devices (SGDs). Researchers assessed these variables across four conditions involving the message display of the SGD: no display (Condition A), visual scenes (contextual photographic) display (Condition B), Traditional Grid Display (Condition C), while participants engage in conversational story telling. This study is important because technology is currently being developed to assist people with aphasia to access messages …

Meeting The Absurd: Camus And The Communication Ethics Of The Everyday, Brent Sleasman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The metaphor of the absurd, as well as the work and thought of Albert Camus, has primarily served as a secondary resource within the communication discipline. This project contributes to the conversation about the absurd in an effort to further the study of communication ethics by placing Camus in the foreground. The metaphor of the absurd provides an opportunity to examine philosophical hermeneutics in relation to Camus's insights. The work of Paul Ricoeur and Hans-Georg Gadamer, emphasizing the role of metaphor and how it connects the absurd as used by Camus to our current postmodern moment, provides the methodological framework …

Structural Indicators Of Index Crime Rates In Metropolitan Counties For 1990 And 2000, Jacob Becker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between structural features common to research within social disorganization and strain theory frameworks of metropolitan counties in 1990 and 2000 and their crime rates. It hypothesizes that economic inequality, a measure of relative deprivation, will be a more consistent structural indicator of crime than poverty, a measure of absolute deprivation. Twelve independent structural variables based on 1990 and 2000 Census data are placed in ordinary least-squares regression models to predict crime rates for 10 different Uniform Crime Report types. Results support this hypothesis, as well as identify a number of other structural indicators that are …